City to spend $58,000 on well fencing

CHENEY – The city council is allocating $58,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to put fencing around wells No. 2 and 3.

A unanimous vote sealed the council’s decision at their April 12 meeting.

The $48,698 bid by Columbia General Contracting awarded the company the contract to perform the work.

While the council debated the legitimacy of spending the money on fencing, councilman Paul Schmidt said, “It’s just a minimum-security issue.”

According to council, the fencing will secure a 100-foot radius around the wells, protecting them from contaminations that well No. 5 is currently dealing. Councilmembers agreed that fencing the wells off would be the easiest way to complete this objective.

ARPA funds were distributed to local governments to help communities get back on their feet after the COVID-10 lockdowns. They can be can on anything from infrastructure projects to revitalization efforts.